Did Mike Jinx snow day possibilities? Will Framingham have a Favorite Teacher?
“The only thing that keeps man going is energy. But what is energy but liking life?…”
Louis Auchincloss
Hi All;
Thank goodness some bone-chilling cold returned briefly over the M.L. King weekend. I was worried that my backyard skating rink was doomed to becoming a winter swimming pool. The Welches were able to get a couple of days of skating in, and that might be the end of it if today’s predicted 45+ degree day ruins things for the rest of the week. If nothing else these milder than normal days are saving money on heating bills and preventing a deficit in the snow plowing budget. In case you’re wondering, if we don’t have any snow days this entire year, our 180th (and last) day of school is slated to be on Friday, June 15th. That would be quite the ticket to launch our summer vacation. We’ve got a long way to go before then, so I’d better not jinx us any more than that…
Some of you may be aware that the health benefits available to school employees in Framingham (and all other town employees) are collectively bargained with the town separate from the Framingham Teachers
Association’s collective bargaining agreement. An organization called the “Public Employee Coalition” (P.E.C.) is composed of representatives from most of the town and school unions and negotiates with the town for the benefits plans offered. Recently the P.E.C. settled on a new agreement with the town that will have some significant changes to the health benefits provided to all town and school employees. These changes will go into effect on March 1. Over the last few years the percentage contribution from the town was reduced from 87% to 84%, while the percentage contributed by town employees has increased from 13% to 16%. This year the percentage contributions will stay the same, but the co-pays and deductibles will increase substantially. There was an article in the MetroWest Daily News about this recently and you can view it here.
There will be some informational meetings about these changes in the next few weeks and I highly encourage you to attend. Please Note: Although these sessions are broken into School Information Sessions and Town Information Sessions, you can attend ANY of them.
SCHOOL INFORMATION SESSIONS
DATE DAY LOCATION TIME
1/24/12 Tues FHS – Cafeteria 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
1/25/12 Wed Fuller – Room D31 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
1/26/12 Thurs Walsh – Room 113 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
2/7/12 Tues Walsh – Room 113 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
2/8/12 Wed Fuller – Room D31 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
2/9/12 Thurs FHS – Cafeteria 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
TOWN INFORMATION SESSIONS
2/1/12 Wed Senior Center 9:00 am – 11:00 am
2/15/12 Wed Town Hall – Blumer Conf. Rm 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
2/15/12 Wed Town Hall – Blumer Conf. Rm 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
2/23/12 Thurs Town Hall – Blumer Conf. Rm 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
2/23/12 Thurs Town Hall – Blumer Conf. Rm 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
As an intriguing follow-up to my recent mention of the difficulties in educating highly transient/mobile students, the Boston Globe recently conducted an inquiry into the attendance rates at Boston high schools. The results are quite striking. The article revealed that over one-third of students at Boston high schools were “chronically absent” last year. Chronically absent students were defined as those students who were absent more than ten percent of the school year. This equals missing about 18 days of school in a single school year. Almost 1 in every 5 Boston high school students missed more than 20% of school days last year. You can seethe entire article from this past Sunday’s Globe by clicking here.
As you may imagine,this got me to thinking about our attendance data at FHS. The “Statistic of the Week” shows some attendance data for various Massachusetts schools that I thought you might find interesting. Incidentally, the FHS data includes the attendance data for our Thayer Campus students also.
I recently learned that Barnes & Noble bookstores are sponsoring a “My Favorite Teacher” program. Students are encouraged to write an essay or poem describing their favorite teacher and how that person has influenced and inspired them. Entries are due to local Barnes & Noble store by March 1. A group of judges from Barnes & Noble and our local community will choose the winners and recognize both the teachers and the students at a special ceremony during Educator Appreciation Week at Barnes & Noble. One winning teacher will be chosen from the appropriate category: grades 1-5, grades 6-8, and grades 9-12. Each winner will receive a special award acknowledging their achievement and a selection of Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics series (for high school teachers); and a set of five (5) Classic Starts® series (for grades 1-5 and grades 6-8 teachers) Winners by category will also be entered in the regional contest where the regional winners will each receive a NOOK™ eBook Reader, a $500 Barnes & Noble Gift Card—and the chance to become the national winner of the “Barnes & Noble Teacher of the Year” award. The Barnes & Noble “Teacher of the Year” will receive $5,000 and will be recognized at a special event at a Barnes & Noble store. The winning teacher’s school will receive $5,000 as well. The students who write the winningessays or poems will receive a certificate of recognition and will be honored at their local store during the ceremony for the winning teachers. For an entry form, contest rules, and more information, please visit My favorite Teacher.
FHS has recently partnered with the Samaritans to provide a unique new texting hotline service for teens called “IM Hear”. This service is a teen to teen texting service being piloted in MetroWest as an extension of the Samaritans’ befriending service. This teen online chat service provides confidential peer support and understanding to teens who are struggling with feelings of depression, loneliness and stress. From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, this service is staffed by trained volunteers between the ages of 15 and 18. If you are interesting in learning more you can contact the Samaritans website.
I know it seems like a long way off, but are you wondering about what options are available for students over the summer? The 10th Annual Summer Camp Fair will be held on SUNDAY, January 29 at Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School, 390 Lincoln Road, Sudbury, MA. The fair will go from11:00 AM – 2:00 PM. There are 80+ camps offering information on day, overnight and travel programs for students in grades K-12. Parents and students can meet and speak with representatives from these camps offering unique programs including travel, community service, arts, sports, academic enrichment and traditional camp options.
Admission is free. For additional information, visit Sudbury Camp Fair.
FHS Guidance Department Head Christine Luzi informs me that beginning January 9th, FHS students in grades 10 and 11 can visit their guidance counselors during the lunch block to pick up their PSAT test booklet as well as get information about signing up for the SAT, ACT and TOEFL as well as test prep. TheGuidance Department will also be having a College Information Night on Thursday, February 9th for
FHS Juniors and their parents, although all are welcome. Mark your calendars and plan on attending in the FHS Auditorium from 7-9:00 pm.
Statistic Of The Week
